John Boehner to Boost Candidates in Iowa, Illinois

Speaker John Boehner will be in Iowa campaigning for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Wednesday, and he also plans to fundraise for two House challengers while he’s in the state.

Ben Lange and John Archer, who are running against Democratic incumbents in Iowa’s 1st and 2nd districts, respectively, will get a boost from the Speaker.

The Ohio Republican will start the day with a fundraising luncheon in Davenport for Archer, a lawyer who is running against Rep. Dave Loebsack (D). The event will be held at the Davenport Country Club, and donations range from $250 to $1,000 a person, according to the Quad-City Times.

He will then head to Iowa City to rally Romney volunteers and supporters. Finally, the Speaker will hold an evening reception in Cedar Rapids for Lange, who is trying for the second time to unseat Rep. Bruce Braley (D). The event is $250 per guest, according to the Dubuque-based Telegraph Herald.

The trip marks Boehner’s first stop in Iowa since August, when he campaigned for close friend Rep. Tom Latham (R) in his contest against Rep. Leonard Boswell (D).

On Thursday, Boehner will hop across the state line to Illinois to campaign for Rep. Bobby Schilling (R). Boehner will join former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) in co-hosting a fundraiser for the vulnerable freshman at Tennant Truck Lines in Colona, Ill. Schilling was swept into office in 2010, aided by a strong GOP political wave. He is battling for re-election in a district that is more favorable to Democrats due to redistricting.